Field of the Technology
The disclosure relates to the field of motion sensing technology, specifically to beverage containers or other vessels containing motion sensors and lighting.
Description of the Prior Art
Spilled liquids can cause damage to furniture, electronics, or any other susceptible item near the spill area. When good lighting conditions exist a beverage container can easily be seen, chances of knocking over the beverage container and causing a spill are reduced. However during low-light or no-light conditions, it can become very difficult to see a beverage container when reaching for a beverage. This greatly increases the chances of knocking over the beverage container and spilling the liquid contents onto sensitive furniture, electronics, or other susceptible items that are nearby. The chances of accidentally knocking over the beverage container are even higher for certain segments of the population, for example young children, elderly adults, or those with disabilities or other impairments.
Several prior attempts at reducing the chances of spilling liquids in low-light or no-light conditions have been made which have been met with various levels of success. One of these attempts has been to place the beverage container on a coaster containing a night light which is activated by the proximity of a user. Many of these types of devices however comprise a passive infrared sensor (PIR) which sense a 90 degree field of view, meaning that the coaster must first be roughly aligned with the user in order for it to activate. Furthermore, a PIR sensor senses changes in heat regardless of its origin which then leads to false triggers. PIR sensors are also cost prohibitive and require a Fresnel lens, which further increases their complexity and production cost. Additionally, a coaster requires a large footprint, thus limiting its applicability in certain situations. The beverage container must also be carefully placed on the coaster or else the user risks tipping it over, thus destroying the original use of the coaster in the first place.
Other works have included placing bright or flashing lights into various different types of beverage containers for design or aesthetic purposes. Typically these involve placing LED lights or other types of bulbs in or on the bottom of the beverage container and then activating the means for illumination with a push button or switch. Other attempts have simply comprised of painting or fabricating the coaster and/or beverage container with glow in the dark paint.
What is needed is a device for a beverage container which omnidirectionally senses user motion in a field around the beverage container, the device then sufficiently illuminating the beverage container in order to alert its presence and relative location to the user and thus avoiding possible spilling and unnecessary damage to the surrounding area.